About CCS
Nature has always been a wellspring of inspiration and sustenance for human cultures. Our values, beliefs, and traditions are deeply rooted in the natural world, shaping the way we perceive and conceive of ourselves and our surroundings.
The proliferation of global economies based on capitalist exploitation, propped up by outlived systems of oppression including but not limited to classism, patriarchy, and white supremacy, has created our current conditions of climate crisis, ecological collapse, and mainstream awakening to the need for intersectional solidarity movements.
This is why Culture Climate Strategy was born. CCS and its network of partners understand ourselves as artists, activists, and culture-bearers to be more than just artifact-makers and storytellers: we are also strategists, knowledge-creators, and sources of unique solutions that arise from our diverse identities, backgrounds, artistic and cultural experiences, ways of knowing, and ways of working in the world.
Culture is strategy; nature is culture. Our ability to forge a future based on collective care, well-being, and abundance hinges on our capacity to draw from the wisdom of both nature and culture, forging a path that honors the interdependence of all living things. This is necessary work. We invite you to join us.
About Lauren
Lauren de la Parra is an interdisciplinary sustainability consultant, artist, and advocate committed to cultivating the intersection of arts and culture, climate action, and community resilience. She has a background in municipal and state climate action and resilience planning, with a focus on equity and justice. She has also served as a consultant, researcher, fabricator, installer, and youth mentor on creative climate action projects with individual artists, K-12 schools, nonprofits and local governments across New England and California.
Lauren holds an M.S. in Sustainability Science with a concentration in Urban Sustainability, and a Graduate Certificate in Climate Change, Hazards, and Green Infrastructure, both from UMass Amherst. While at UMass, she co-founded Paperbark, an interdisciplinary magazine of creativity and stewardship around the climate and ecological crises. She is also a Creative Climate Leader with international nonprofit Julie’s Bicycle, and an organizing member of the Bay Area nonprofit Art + Climate Action. She is also a certified permaculture designer.
Lauren relocated to Oakland, CA in 2022 and is grateful for the open arms and hearts of her Bay Area community. She is a long-time vegan and yogi, and completed her 200-hour YTT in 2023. Lauren loves the great outdoors, animals, board games, bagels of all kinds, and Star Trek. She lives with her partner and their dog Maple, who is named in honor of Lauren’s Canadian roots. For more about Lauren, please visit her LinkedIn profile.